When COVID-19 infections started to spread rapidly across the U.S., the demand for ventilators skyrocketed. A team of WSU electrical engineering students set out to design a low-cost machine that could be used in similar emergency situations.
Four seniors at the Tri-Cities campus knew they wanted to help others for their capstone project. The group comprises Jeremy Dyer, Garrison Wilfert, Aaron Engebretson and Aleksandr Arabadzhi.
After the students chose to engineer a ventilator, next came the challenging part: figuring out how ventilators work. They understood electrical components from their classes and internships, but they have no medical experience.
“We could have chosen a project that was either financially motivated or just entertainment to create something that passes time for people, but this is something that actually would impact people and possibly save lives,” Arabadzhi said.
January 8, 2021
A diagram explaining how the student’s proposed ventilator would work.
A student electrical engineering team at Washington State University Tri-Cities is designing a prototype of a ventilator that they hope could one-day be used as a low-cost option compared to more expensive commercially available devices.
The team, comprised of students Jeremy Dyer, Garrison Wilfert, Aaron Engebretson and Aleksandr Arabadzhi, are designing the ventilator as part of their senior capstone project under the guidance and mentorship of engineering professors Mohamed Osman and Barbara Philipp. The team said even low-cost models on the commercial market are expensive – $10,000 and above. The shortage of ventilators amid COVID-19 has also created further cost challenges.